Published on July 7th, 2020 | by Sunit Nandi

Privacy Differences Between a Smart DNS and a VPN

There can be no denying that the world around us is becoming more restrictive. Even before the lockdown what you said and done online was recorded. Express an opinion on social media, and you could suddenly find yourself demonized, doxed, and possibly sacked from your job.

As such, protecting your online identity has become of paramount importance. To do this, a VPN is essential. The nature of a virtual private network will keep your IP address secret and make your account much harder to hack.

You may not be too concerned about privacy and simply want to unblock region lock content. If so both a VPN or a Smart DNS will do the trick. Here is an overview of how they work and you can discover more about VPNs and Smart DNS at WatchoutsideUS, which specializes in these tools.

VPN and Smart DNS Privacy Differences

The key difference between a VPN and a Smart DNS is privacy. VPNs encrypt your data and as such makes it very difficult to trace your IP address and personal details. If you have privacy concerns, this could be the option for you.

Smart DNS, however, does not encrypt your data and as such, your personal details are easier to trace. If privacy is your main concern, then this may not be for you. As we will discover, however, a Smart DNS does provide other advantages which may be more suited to your requirements.

Unblocking Region Locked Content

If your main concern is unblocking region-locked content, then a Smart DNS may well be your best option. It is more a reliable as Netflix, and other streaming content providers seem to have got wise when a VPN is being used to access content, and as such, deployed blockers.

The blockers seem to be able to detect when an IP address is shielded and smell a rat. As a Smart DNS doesn’t shield your IP address, the content unblocks, and you can stream the content even if you are in a different region.

This is very handy if you travel abroad and you and want to keep pace with your favorite shows on Netflix, the BBC, and so forth.

Understanding how VPNs and Smart DNS Works

The better VPNs and Smart DNS have servers all over the world. When you connect to your VPN or Smart DNS service provider, they connect to a server in a location in a different country to your own before connecting to your website of choice. This is how regional content is unblocked, as the server will be in your home country.

The key difference between the two is that a VPN encrypts your data, making it hard to hack or trace.

Final Thoughts

Given the usefulness and effectiveness of a Smart DNS or VPN, it is probably best practice to get both. There are some good ones reasonably priced and this way you can get the best of all worlds. So for surfing sites that fall outside of the groupthink masses approval use a VPN. To watch Netflix from your home country while travelling abroad, a Smart DNS.

Use these tools to protect yourself and still watch your chosen entertainment.

Tags: differences, privacy, smart DNS, VPN

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.